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Noun: temper  tem-pu(r)
  1. A sudden outburst of anger
    "his temper sparked like damp firewood";
    - pique, irritation
     
  2. A characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
    "whether he praised or cursed me depended on his temper at the time";
    - mood, humor [US], humour [Brit, Cdn]
     
  3. A disposition to exhibit uncontrolled anger
    "his temper was well known to all his employees";
    - biliousness, irritability, peevishness, pettishness, snappishness, surliness, snappiness
     
  4. The elasticity and hardness of a metal object; its ability to absorb considerable energy before cracking
    - toughness
Verb: temper  tem-pu(r)
  1. Bring to a desired consistency, texture, or hardness by a process of gradually heating and cooling
    "temper glass";
    - anneal, normalize, normalise [Brit]
     
  2. Harden by reheating and cooling in oil
    "temper steel";
    - harden
     
  3. Adjust the pitch (of pianos)
     
  4. Make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else
    "she tempered her criticism";
    - season, mollify, moderate, mod [informal]
     
  5. Change by restraining or moderating
    - chasten

Derived forms: tempers, tempering, tempered

Type of: adjust, alter, annoyance, chafe, change, correct, elasticity, feeling, harden, ill nature, indurate, modify, set, snap, vexation, weaken

Encyclopedia: Temper, or, Domestic Scenes